Includes Ecuadorian Rail
- Rallus limicola
Identification
- Rufous breast
- Long, slightly decurved bill
- Red bill and legs
- Grey face
- Black and white barring on flanks
- Brown streaking on back
Similar Species
Similar to King Rail, but king rail is much larger, with light brownish bill and legs, less grey in face.
Distribution
Nova Scotia to California and North Carolina; southwestern Colombia to western Peru; southern Chile and Argentina.
Taxonomy
Subspecies1
- R. l. limicola - Southern Canada and US; winters to Baja and Guatemala
- R. l. friedmanni - South-eastern Mexico (Puebla, México, Veracruz and Chiapas)
- R. l. aequatorialis - "Ecuadorian Rail": Andes of southern Colombia and Ecuador, and coast of Peru (La Libertad to Arequipa)
Habitat
Shallow freshwater marshes with emergent vegetation.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes insects and aquatic animals.
Breeding
The nest is a platform composed of cattails and other plants in a dry area in the marsh. The clutch consists of 5 to 13 eggs. Both adults care for the young.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Virginia Rail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Virginia_Rail
